The controversy surrounding Kylian Mbappe's missed penalty against Real Betis has taken another turn, with the new IFAB rules for the 2026/27 season indicating that the spot-kick should have been retaken.
Real Madrid were trailing 1-0 at La Cartuja when Alvaro Valles saved Mbappe's penalty in the closing stages.
Marc Bartra then cleared the rebound, immediately prompting protests from the Madrid players because the Betis defender appeared to have entered the area before the kick was taken.
The initial argument against a retake centred on Bartra being airborne. He had not yet placed his feet on the ground inside the penalty area when Mbappe struck the ball.
That detail, though, does not settle the matter under the rules now in force.
IFAB's 2026/27 Laws of the Game clarify how an airborne player's position is determined.
Mbappe's penalty was saved. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)
If a player is in the air, their position is established by the projected position of their feet as though they were touching the ground.
That is crucial in this incident, as Bartra did not need to have his feet physically touching the turf inside the box for his position to count as an encroachment.
If his projected foot position was inside the penalty area when Mbappe struck the ball, he was considered to have entered the area before the kick.
Under the updated Law 14, a defending player's encroachment only leads to a retake when it has an impact.
The law specifically provides for a penalty to be retaken when defending encroachment has an impact after a saved kick.
The new IFAB rule for penalty retakes. (Picture credit: IFAB official website)
Bartra's role makes that particularly relevant. Valles saved the penalty, but Bartra then cleared the rebound before Mbappe could get to it.
Journalist Eduardo Iturralde made the same distinction when discussing the incident on El Larguero.
